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“Lucy, don’t worry about it, okay, sweetheart? You really don’t need to.”
“I miss Mom and Dad.”
Tears filled Sasha’s eyes, and she pulled her sister into her arms. “I do too. So much.”
She knew her parents would have known what to do. How to handle everything. Everything was coming apart for her. Whatever happened she had to protect Lucy.
“I think about them all the time. I know they would be happy we’re here, Sasha.”
“Me too. I’ve just got to figure out what to do.”
“We can stay here until the food runs out and then we can see if we can find someone.”
The man she’d killed entered her mind and she forced a smile to her lips. No one was safe.
No one.
She had to make sure that Lucy was aware of that. She climbed off the porch and cupped Lucy’s hands.
“Lucy, sweetie, I need you to look at me.” Her sister was too young. She should still be out playing on her bike, making friends. Wondering if she would have a boyfriend when she was older. All the normal stuff a young girl did. Even have posters on her bedroom wall of popstars or movie stars. “I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If something was to happen, if you hear me, for whatever reason, screaming at you to run or to give you any instruction, you run. Do you hear me?”
“I don’t like this, Sasha. We’re sisters. We stay together.”
“I know, sweetie. I love you but I need you to promise me this.”
“It’s really bad, isn’t it?”
Sasha gritted her teeth as she nodded. “I never want to be away from you. You’re my little sister but I have to know you’re going to be okay. Promise me.”
She saw the conflict in Lucy’s eyes until she finally caved and nodded. “Yes.”
“Don’t try to help me. Don’t try to see. You run.”
“Okay.”
She pulled Lucy against her again, kissing the top of her head. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she blinked away the tears, not letting them fall.
“Come on, we’ve got to get inside, have some food.”
She took Lucy’s hand and they headed inside.
“We could ration,” Lucy said.
She turned to her sister. “Ration?”
“It’ll make everything last longer.”
“That sounds great.” She wasn’t about to worry her sister and let her know that she had been rationing. It had been over a week since she’d eaten a good meal. At least, she thought it had been a week.
Every now and then, her hands would shake and her stomach would cramp but food wasn’t something she needed. Answers were what she needed and the longer she stayed here, the harder it was to find out what was happening.
After Lucy ate her food, Sasha tucked her into bed and headed out onto the front porch. Most nights she only slept for a couple of hours. She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to keep this up.
Staring up at the sky, she saw it was another full moon.
How much time had passed?
Were her parents’ bodies rotting in their old home?
What had happened to the world?
Pulling out the radio, she wound it up and like she did every single night, she tried to tune it in to find a channel.
Any channel that could give her any indication of what had happened.
She wondered about the virus.
The illness that had rushed through the towns and cities. The mass panic as people were told to stay indoors, and anyone who had any contact with infected people were to pray for help.
What kind of advice was that?
Pray for help?
Shaking her head, she went up and down on the dials, and still nothing.
Just the buzzing of static.
Taking a deep breath, she stared up at the sky and wondered about everything.
Why hadn’t she or Lucy gotten sick?
They’d been exposed to their parents.
She didn’t feel ill.
Lucy looked perfectly fine.
Running fingers through her hair, she rested her head against the wooden railing and held the gun across her lap.
She hadn’t seen anyone else in days.
There were no sounds.
Nothing.
Everything was still.
Breathing in and out, she tried to calm her nerves, but nothing was helping. This wasn’t the life she wanted to live. One day soon, she would have to make a choice. Not just for herself but also for Lucy. They couldn’t stay here. Food was running out. She needed answers but the cabin had become a security blanket to her.
Biting her lip, she shook her leg, knowing that in a few days’ time they were going to have to move, or she was going to need to learn how to hunt.
Either way, survival was the only option.
“Sasha,” Lucy said.
She gasped and turned to see her sister out on the porch, rubbing at her eyes. Keeping the gun by her side, she got to her feet. “You should be in bed. Resting.”
“So should you.”
“I know but I can’t sleep and you know me, I like being outside.”
